Auction website freezes WikiLeaks account a day after Sweden issued fresh arrest warrant for Julian Assange
The backlash against WikiLeaks intensifed today after payments site PayPal revealed it had frozen WikiLeaks' account, saying it was being used to "encourage, promote, facilitate or instruct others to engage in illegal activity".
The company, owned by auction website eBay, revealed it had cut access for donations to WikiLeaks amid unsubstantiated speculation that the decision may have been inspired by heavy political pressure. Last week Amazon.com stopped hosting WikiLeaks only 24 hours after being contacted by the staff of Joe Lieberman, chairman of the Senate's committee on homeland security.
The latest action is likely to harm Wikileaks because PayPal is an important avenue for donations and arguably the most secure and convenient way to support the organisation.
Paypal's decision comes a day after Swedish authorities, who want to question WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, 39, over sex offence allegations, issued a fresh arrest warrant to British police. However, amid speculation Assange is about to be picked up, his lawyer said it could be weeks before the Australian, who is understood to be in south-east England, is arrested.
Mark Stephens said British police were still assessing the Swedish warrant and were in a position to contact Assange. "The new warrant has to go to Interpol and to Scotland Yard. Anything quicker than 10 days and you've got to think that Julian Assange is getting special attention.
He also said that if the latest Swedish arrest warrant was not valid – the first was rejected last week for being incomplete – he would get the "court to quash it".
Stephens said: "In these circumstances there is every likelihood of that occurring. Given the deficiencies in the process, it is going to be difficult for them to produce a warrant which is valid under international law. The process has been so comprehensively unfair. The police won't get in touch with me until they get a warrant they think they can get through."
He said Scotland Yard had been aware of Assange's whereabouts since September when he arrived from Sweden after the allegations against him surfaced in August. Since then, Assange has repeatedly attempted to contact the Swedish prosecutors, even offering to meet at the Swedish embassy in London to discuss the allegations against him.
"When I spoke to the police I think they were pretty surprised with the problems we had getting in touch them [Swedish prosecutors]. I told the chief inspector that my client been trying to get in touch with the prosecutor since August. Usually people are running in the opposite direction".
Stephens said that on a wider point it was important to remember that WikiLeaks was not a "one man show" and that despite the mounting attacks against the site it had a large team dedicated to its survival.
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